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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. To where does Mary move?

2. For what did Bill get discharged?

3. What does marijuana make people unfit to do?

4. What is the name of the narrator?

5. In what city does Bill enter a drug rehab center?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Bill meet Mary?

2. Why does Gains not care about their dealer shortselling them?

3. What happens to Marvin when he takes junk?

4. What does Bill state are the problems with marijuana dealing?

5. How does Bill try to reduce his heroin habit?

6. How do Lee and Roy become increasingly friendly in the opening ten pages?

7. Describe the disturbance Doolie creates in the fifth section.

8. What happens to all the characters mentions in the first 20 pages?

9. What did Bill do when he came back from Europe?

10. Why did Bill turn to petty crime?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is it important that drug addiction is addressed by someone who has experienced it? Do you think Burroughs' views have ever seriously been addressed in America?

Essay Topic 2

Pick a character from the novel and discuss his/her goals and motives. Does he/she achieve his/her motive? Does he/she share similar goals and motives with other characters? Does his/her goals clash with other characters? How do the characters' goals and motives affect his/her interactions with each other?

Essay Topic 3

The novel is set in New York, New Orleans, Texas and Mexico.

1) What meaning does each setting bring to the novel? What would you automatically presume about a novel that was set in these locations?

2) How different do you think the cities are today to the cities and states in the novel? How do you think the novel's meaning would change if it were set in contemporary society?

3) How do you think settings of the novel contribute the drug theme?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 661 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample